SF's "Write Your Butt Off" Competition HD II.5 Remix

[AnonymousSpeed]

3 minutes ago, Ottservia said:

Question @AnonymousSpeed Do the characters have to be superpowered?

On 8/4/2019 at 1:47 PM, AnonymousSpeed said:

Super- Having abilities noticeably and distinctly beyond those of a normal real-world human, even if they are normal by the standards of their universe. Super-powered.

So ostensibly yes, but get as creative as you feel like with the direction you take that. Batman doesn't count, but Eliwood counts 'cause he has a magic sword. Uh...Inklings count...Thomas the Tank Engine counts.

Edited August 6 by AnonymousSpeed

[TheSilentChloey]

Okay...this could get interesting...

[DarthR0xas]

1 hour ago, AnonymousSpeed said:

Batman doesn't count

Wait, why wouldn't Batman count? He literally fits the definition of super you've given

1 hour ago, AnonymousSpeed said:

Super- Having abilities noticeably and distinctly beyond those of a normal real-world human, even if they are normal by the standards of their universe. Super-powered.

He is noticeably smarter than most real world humans, and one of the smartest people by the standards of his universe. His memory and logic skills are distinct, and he's superhumanly good at most things mental.

1 hour ago, AnonymousSpeed said:

Thomas the Tank Engine counts.

You telling me I can have Thomas and Big Bird perform a heist to steal all the money Yoshi saved from evading taxes?

[SoulWeaver]

1 hour ago, AnonymousSpeed said:

Another prompt which I considered was "make the most creative crack pairing," so I guess you get an extra point or something.

Looking forward to Eliwood Bonus Doubling his way to kidnapping the president.

My idea was 'Take two FE characters that don't normally interact and write a set of Support Conversations for them' so close enough.
Lol, no, that was a separate thing. Currently trying to decide if I should try for conventional or comical once I get EliJarn finished.

15 minutes ago, DarthR0xas said:

You telling me I can have Thomas and Big Bird perform a heist to steal all the money Yoshi saved from evading taxes?

...Please do this.

[DarthR0xas]

1 minute ago, SoulWeaver said:

...Please do this.

What have I gotten myself into

I guess I kinda have to at this point

[SoulWeaver]

I mean, you don't have to if another idea presents itself, I'm just like hey, why not?

[AnonymousSpeed]

38 minutes ago, DarthR0xas said:

Wait, why wouldn't Batman count? He literally fits the definition of super you've given

 

Alright, fair enough. I was concerned about people just writing stories about ninjas instead of something more interesting, but I suppose the rules are most consistent when Batman is allowed. So you're correct, Batman is allowed.

 

38 minutes ago, DarthR0xas said:

You telling me I can have Thomas and Big Bird perform a heist to steal all the money Yoshi saved from evading taxes?

My brother in the faith...I permit it and strongly encourage it also.

[TheSilentChloey]

Okay, let me be abundantly clear on one thing before we even get to the hot mess that is my entry for this round.

I don't like superheroes or supervillans.  I hate them with a passion because most of them are entirely unrelateable and have ridiculous powers to boot.  That does not mean I disliked the theme.  Any experience is worthwhile.  Even the things we do not like to write about.  I suppose that just couples to the more dull rubbish coming from this entry, so apologies in advance because it sucks.  Legit this is one of my worst pieces and no one can tell me otherwise (read the sarcasm folks).

Come up with your own title for this hot mess.  I really don't know what the hell to call it.

Spoiler

“We’ll have food, lots of food, we’ll have food, lots of food, we’ll have food lots of food, we’ll have food lots of food, we’ll have food lots of food, we’ll have food lots of food…”

 

The pair laughed as their lowly grunts kept on chanting as they explained their plan to the fools below.  To kill the one getting in the way of that plan- it was as simple as using the weakness of Darkman to make it all happen and they wouldn’t even have to actually kill the man.  Leah van Hedwig smiled and it didn’t reach her eyes. She of course was known more as ‘Fatalia’ the most dangerous supervillain to exist in the world and her dearest brother known as ‘Death’ was her partner through many of their exploits and mostly failed schemes.  They were the brains to the grunts brawn and the pair had of course planned a very simple yet effective plan that couldn’t possibly go wrong this time. It would involve killing Darkman and pinning it on that ridiculous sidekick of his- forcing the boy to join their side and allowing the grunts to have their fill of food obviously- though Death drew his blade and roared over the din, “You won’t get a sniff without us!” silencing the grunts to be completely still.  Fatalia snorted as she flicked her long silky hair its honey tones flowing around her,

“He’s quite right.  You will need to take on certain duties, but we do promise that you will be rewarded.” She spoke with a falsely sweet tone- those grunts were stupid but she supposed that they could be useful- to a degree.  The Poison she had in her telescopic nails was enough to be fatal which was why Darkman did not take her on regardless of the fool’s super strength since he would be poisoned the moment he came into contact with her nails.  She hadn’t had the chance to deal with Darkman herself however as her poor brother was always getting beat up by that bully. And now it was time for sister to make her move. Fatalia continued, “Now then here’s what we need to do in order to make this happen- do try not to stuff it up this time.”

 

It was clear that this plan was going to take some time as Death stood to the left of his sister, watching her deal with the grunts he’d nearly been ready to use as practice targets for his other powers.

 

Of the two of them, Death had been blessed with strength beyond a normal man- almost superhuman allowing him to go toe to toe with Darkman and live to tell the tale afterwords, though it was upsetting for Fatalia to see her brother be hurt- he was the only thing she really cared about in this world and it showed in the way she was always tenderly tending to his wounds.

 

He smirked as her narcissistic tendencies started to come up to the surface.  He cared for her, of course as much as she did he- it was an unspoken agreement between the pair of siblings.  She was always willing to patch up his injuries after all and they were all the other had- so of course they were a team.

 

It was Darkman’s fault for not seeing things the way Death and Fatalia did.  The pair had been resigned to the shadows while they were plotting their next move- and Death always had a plan or two that he and his sister could go over.  Drake van Hedwig was a thing of the past now, though it was useful cover to get closer to that idiot that was Darkman’s sidekick. The boy had nothing special about him other than his absurd superhuman agility- a skill that Death and Fatalia could take from the brat.  Of course his sister planned to make use of the boy in another way and Death liked her idea- just not as much as his own which would mean that the brat would cease to exist entirely. Perhaps the best part was to take the boy’s powers after Fatalia did what she wanted with the kid- that seemed fair enough as long as Death got what he wanted.  “Sister.” Death spoke now, “I have a revised idea you might find to your liking. Care to hear me out?” He offered,

“Oh?  Tell me dearest brother what kind of idea?”

“The kind that combines our objectives into one.” He said simply the smirk on his face growing into the kind of grin in which only appeared when he took the greatest pleasure in inflicting pain on others.  Fatalia giggled,

“Oh brother~!” She sounded like a schoolgirl, twirling her hair, “You’re so sweet you know that?  I think I like where this is going. Tell you what- I’ll let you cause the boy extra pain when I’ve got what I want from him, okay?”

Death laughed suddenly and it was a wicked laugh that he rarely indulged in, “Dear sister, you have read my mind.  I do hope you’ll forgive me for not thinking of this much sooner- as I know that it could have solved the problem.”

“Worry not my brother- we will get this perfectly right and that stupid Darkman won’t be able to stop us this time.  What do you say we go and celebrate this wonderful turn of events before we truly begin the plan?”

“Yes, I would like that very much.” He replied and the pair shared a laugh that would send chills up the spines of the grunts.  Yet the grunts knew better than to stop the pair- a few of their number had been killed by Fatalia’s lethal telescopic nails before and no one wanted to see that happen again.  They would simply carry out the task required of them (without stuffing up) so that the riches of food would be theirs to have.  That was of course all that really mattered to the grunts.

 

The siblings sat above the milling grunts below them as the chanting picked up again.  Fatalia had a glass of wine in her hand as Death held his own glass with the particularity of an old world noble.  “So now we have our ambitions bared, where do you want to start?” Death said taking a delicate sip,

“We start by luring the boy to our grasp and use my toxins to deal with Darkman in the most painful way possible- I should use my control neurotoxin on boy.  The grunts will be in the way of course so that Darkman cannot reach the boy while I do it-”

“Ah, yes, I always forget about that one.  The one in which there is no antidote from yes?”

“Exactly so brother.” She said taking a refined noble lady like sip from the glass, “It will ruin Darkman.” The pair laughed again.

 

~*~

 

The length of time that the plan required was annoying to say the least but as the last pieces fell into place Fatalia knew it was time to spring it.  She had approached the boy and that was all it took to enact the plan. One scratch and the neurotoxin was instantly administered just like that. Her brother had naturally been keeping Darkman busy and the grunts the boy.  She smiled widely when the boy stopped as the neurotoxin did its job. “Come to me.” She said and like that he did as she ordered.

“Dash Kid NO!” Darkman yelled and Fatalia smiled as she stroked the boy’s hair,

“Oh my, what a silly man you are- did you not think that we would know what you were thinking, Darkman?” Fatalia asked sweetly, “The boy is ours and will live...for now.  But you- well you must pay for making my sweet brother hurt so much~.”

“Yo-you!”

Fatalia laughed.  “Well I know how to make you pay.” She said left hand shifting to expose her nails, “LIKE THIS!”

Darkman barely dodged the attack and Fatalia frowned, “You won’t win!  I’ll stop you!”

The pair laughed, “Well we’ve got what we want- let’s go Fatalia.” Death said,

“Of course brother, we have what we came for.” She agreed and Darkman tried to throw a weapon at her only for Death to block it, “Grunts!”

The grunts moved to block Darkman and the pair made their escape with their prize.  Darkman could only watch in horror as there was nothing he could do for the moment, “Dash Kid, I swear I will save you…”

Some semblance of post read notes:

Spoiler

Fatalia= Fatalis

Death is as you would expect literal death

Darkman was a rando superhero

Dash Kid is a play on Kid Flash though he's doomed to die.

Grunts are like minions but they don't spout nonsense and gibberish.  Think of hyenas crossed with humans and you'll get the grunts.

 

[Anacybele]

@AnonymousSpeed Hey Anon, I'm afraid my entry ended up being real long, so long that it went about 700 words over the 10k limit. If it's not allowed in, I understand. But could I use it anyway? It's not TOO far above the limit, is it?

This ended up long because for me "big job" translates to detailed plot and stuff... This probably would've actually been better as a short chapter fic as a result... But it's the only idea I could come up with here. And I didn't want to skip yet another round this time.

Edited August 10 by Anacybele

[TheSilentChloey]

@Anacybele I'd probably as a rule of thumb cut non essential plot elements personally, and go for the less is more- but that's just me.  I always hated making things longer than they need to be- anything longer than say three to four pages for a short story is too long for example.  So that is what I am for three or less pages to both deliver the plot and give readers what they need to get the idea.  Makes it more impacting I feel.

[Anacybele]

11 minutes ago, TheSilentChloey said:

@Anacybele I'd probably as a rule of thumb cut non essential plot elements personally, and go for the less is more- but that's just me.  I always hated making things longer than they need to be- anything longer than say three to four pages for a short story is too long for example.  So that is what I am for three or less pages to both deliver the plot and give readers what they need to get the idea.  Makes it more impacting I feel.

More than three to four pages is too long for a short story? Strange, I would write maybe twice that before I say a chapter or one-shot is too long. Your perception of what's too long is way different from mine.

Also, if I cut non-essential stuff, I'd end up getting rid of character interactions that help develop their relationship. And I don't want to water down the characters.

[TheSilentChloey]

17 minutes ago, Anacybele said:

More than three to four pages is too long for a short story? Strange, I would write maybe twice that before I say a chapter or one-shot is too long. Your perception of what's too long is way different from mine.

Also, if I cut non-essential stuff, I'd end up getting rid of character interactions that help develop their relationship. And I don't want to water down the characters.

Perhaps but the point of short stories is to be as short as possible while keeping the reader engaged with it.  Too long and you run the risk of them skimming over it- something I try to avoid beause I tend to get really skimmy if I feel something is too long.

Edited August 10 by TheSilentChloey

[Dragoncat]

Guilty of skimming here.

@AnonymousSpeed Would it be okay if I beta read what Ana wrote and helped her find out what to cut if anything?

[AnonymousSpeed]

13 hours ago, TheSilentChloey said:

Okay, let me be abundantly clear on one thing before we even get to the hot mess that is my entry for this round.

I don't like superheroes or supervillans.  I hate them with a passion because most of them are entirely unrelateable and have ridiculous powers to boot.  That does not mean I disliked the theme.  Any experience is worthwhile.  Even the things we do not like to write about.  I suppose that just couples to the more dull rubbish coming from this entry, so apologies in advance because it sucks.  Legit this is one of my worst pieces and no one can tell me otherwise (read the sarcasm folks).

Artistic philosophy aside, you could have also written an entry about Thomas and Big Bird if that manner of "super" better suits your taste. I wanted it to be a little more flexible than just superheroes.

 

1 hour ago, Anacybele said:

@AnonymousSpeed Hey Anon, I'm afraid my entry ended up being real long, so long that it went about 700 words over the 10k limit. If it's not allowed in, I understand. But could I use it anyway? It's not TOO far above the limit, is it?

This ended up long because for me "big job" translates to detailed plot and stuff... This probably would've actually been better as a short chapter fic as a result... But it's the only idea I could come up with here. And I didn't want to skip yet another round this time.

"There are no hard limits," my friend. Especially not limits that can't bend under 700 words of pressure.

 

5 minutes ago, Dragoncat said:

Would it be okay if I beta read what Ana wrote and helped her find out what to cut if anything?

Yes, when we moved to this thread we made the decision to allow more proper proofreading. Trim to y'all's hearts' content.

[DarthR0xas]

39 minutes ago, AnonymousSpeed said:

Artistic philosophy aside, you could have also written an entry about Thomas and Big Bird if that manner of "super" better suits your taste. I wanted it to be a little more flexible than just superheroes.

I'm not sure the world could handle two pieces about Thomas and Big Bird performing a heist. That's gotta cause a black hole or something.

[AnonymousSpeed]

13 minutes ago, DarthR0xas said:

I'm not sure the world could handle two pieces about Thomas and Big Bird performing a heist. That's gotta cause a black hole or something.

Well, we ain't ever gonna know unless you try, are we?

[Anacybele]

On 8/9/2019 at 9:46 PM, TheSilentChloey said:

Perhaps but the point of short stories is to be as short as possible while keeping the reader engaged with it.  Too long and you run the risk of them skimming over it- something I try to avoid beause I tend to get really skimmy if I feel something is too long.

Except the shorter a piece is, the harder it is to write something that doesn't feel rushed and watered down. At least, that's the way I see it. I'm not cutting anything if I don't have to, and Anon has given me the okay to post my entry anyway.

However, @Dragoncat , feel free to suggest any trimming I could do without sacrificing any quality.

I went with a crossover this time, something I've not done in here before! In fact, I'm not sure anyone else has either. Either way, it's something a little different. This story also sees the return of a villain I came up with in a past entry as well as two characters who...share their name! And I do apologize for the length. I just didn't feel like I could make it any shorter without sacrificing some quality character interactions or moments.

Title: Divine Powers Collide
Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask, Fire Emblem: Awakening
Words: 10693

Spoiler

Divine Powers Collide

Castle Town in the peaceful kingdom of Hyrule was typically busy during the day. Many businesses bustled, and the people known as the Hylians were always rushing to and fro across the square to perform their daily tasks. Citizens browsed food and other goods in the market, played various games in entertainment buildings, guards patrolled the gates and roads to maintain the peace, and more. The currency known as Rupees were constantly being exchanged for these goods and services, keeping the economy rich. Most of the people were decently off, always with money to spend. A few others, however, were not so fortunate.

A young man with reddish brown hair and wearing rather old and tattered clothing sat in one of the town alley ways, munching on little more than a slice of bread and a banana. What income and money he once had was now gone, and little support had come in the meantime. He angrily grumbled over his situation as he ate.

"I can't believe it... I'm out here on the streets now after five years..." he uttered. "All because they had me kicked out of the royal guard! And for what?! Simply believing women aren't as strong as men?! Because my beliefs are different?!"

The man grimaced as he squeezed the remaining peel of the banana so hard that it left mush in his hand.

"Judo... Kelli... One day, you'll both pay for this!"

The man then threw the now messy banana peel across the ground. It almost hit another passerby, and the poor man looked up to see who it was. His eyes widened when he beheld a mysterious cloaked and robed figure with somewhat long grayish blue hair. This person's clothing was unlike any the man had seen in Hyrule before. It was fairly simple, but not in any style worn by the common people. This outfit contained unfamiliar patterns of stitching and embroidery, and used dark blue and purple shades of color. More than intimidated by this figure's appearance, the man quickly apologized for his action.

"Ah, pay it no mind," the passerby said, revealing to have the voice of a woman. "I'm more interested in the names I overheard you speak just now. Judo and Kelli...was it?"

"Oh...yes. I have a huge bone to pick with them!" the man revealed. "I was once a captain in the royal guard at the castle. I was good at my job. Then those two come along and have me stripped of my title and discharged all because they didn't like a few little things I said! And yet I have no idea what I can do about it. They ruined my life and now I'm stuck here scraping for food!"

"I see... That is unfortunate indeed. But perhaps we can help each other out. I am in a sort of predicament myself."

"...W-What? If you haven't noticed, I have no money or decent clothing, I can't find another job that I won't screw up in and will pay me enough, or even a good home to go to since my father won't speak to me or let me see my brother now either! What could I possibly have that would benefit you? And how do I know that you can even be trusted? I don't even know your name!"

"Well, allow me to explain," the mysterious figure said. "And I can tell you a little about myself to ease your concern. I am not from this kingdom, or even this world. I am a traveler from another realm who is seeking aid."

At this, the poor man blinked in silence for a moment.

"Another...realm?"

"That's correct. You may call me Vedette," the stranger introduced.

"I...see. My name is Garrick. Is it really possible for someone to come here from another world? Or go to another world from here?"

"Heh, it most certainly is. You see, I've taken some...interest in those people you mentioned. I may be able to help you get some revenge against them...if you do something for me."

"...You can? What would you want me to do? I'm still not entirely convinced."

"That's fine. Allow me to elaborate further, my fine new friend."

Vedette then explained that she had come to Hyrule through magic that even she had not known existed at first, and now she could travel between it and her own land whenever she wished, or even other worlds. However, she had a situation at home that could not be solved through any means found in her world. She had to seek a power from outside. And Vedette soon learned of something called the Triforce, which existed in Hyrule. At this, Garrick could only laugh, even though he did not want to be rude to someone who might be able to help him.

"...Why are you laughing?" Vedette inquired in a rather annoyed tone.

"Heh...I'm sorry," Garrick replied. "It's just that if you expect to find the Triforce at all right now, especially with the help of someone like me, you're way in over your head. I don't know much about it, but what I do know is that it's our kingdom's most powerful relic and it's currently split into three pieces, each of which is held by one person of that piece's choosing. And those who hold the pieces aren't just any random people. One is our princess, another is one of her retainers, and the third...well, let's just say he isn't in Hyrule anymore. He's been banished to...somewhere. Not sure where exactly."

"Oh, I am fully aware," Vedette assured. "I did my research when I came here, you know. I may even know more than you at this point. The Triforce is said to be able to grant any wish desired when someone touches it. But it will split into three pieces if that person doesn't have the three forces they represent in balance. Your princess holds the Triforce of Wisdom, does she not? The warrior woman known as Kelli has the Triforce of Courage, which was previously held by Link, the other retainer. And the third piece... The Triforce of Power. It is sealed away with...wasn't his name Ganondorf?"

"...Whoa. Yes, that is all correct, as far as I know."

"I told you, didn't I? Oh...and one more thing. There's a rumor that despite the Triforce of Power technically being locked away, the man named Judo is able to...call upon it in certain situations. Apparently, it recognizes him as a worthy holder, should it one day escape from Ganondorf's hands entirely."

Garrick's eyes soon widened again, not believing what he was hearing.

"What?! Even despite that thing being sealed away, its power can still help him? And he doesn't even need to hold it? That sounds no different than someone cheating at a game!"

"Heh...perhaps so. But things such as the Triforce are mysterious sometimes, aren't they? In any case, I can lend you some of my power if you agree to help me get my hands on the pieces of the Triforce. With my plan, you can get your revenge on Judo and Kelli, and I can use the Triforce's power to solve the situation I have at home. We can both satisfy one another's needs."

"...Hmm. I would be interested...but what exactly do you want to use the Triforce for? I am quite hesitant to agree to anything criminal or evil."

"No worries. What I'll do will only affect my world. I don't even wish to keep the Triforce forever. I merely would like to make a wish...to more or less help my own people."

"I see... That would be admirable enough. But you must promise me that I really can make Judo and Kelli pay for what they did. And I'm not sure you can make good on that given that you're asking for the bloody Triforce of all things. How are we supposed to get our hands on it? It's not something we can simply sneak out of someone's belongings. It's power that literally resides within a person."

"Heh... Believe me, I know. I assure you I can keep that promise. My plan cannot possibly fail."

Garrick then thought for a moment before responding.

"Well... Alright then. I don't really have anything to lose anyway."

"Heh heh... Excellent! Now...here's what you must do."

Vedette then explained her idea as thoroughly and clearly as she could. Garrick followed along with intrigue...until Vedette brought up his part in it. And when she finished, he growled.

"Alright, first of all, I resent the idea of kidnapping anyone," he protested. "Second, one of the two children you're talking about has crazy powers! The last time someone took her, they got their arse handed to them big time by both her parents and her! I wouldn't lay a hand on that kid if you paid me!"

"Ah, but my friend, remember you're going to have my power on your side," Vedette reminded him. "And I am aware of the one little girl's powers, actually. Not hard to be when some people around here don't know how to shut up. But anyway, with my magic helping you, this will be a simple task. It pays to come prepared, after all. And just think of it this way. Those people you mentioned took everything from you, did they not? Now you can take something precious from them!"

"...The idea...is very appealing," Garrick admitted, and then cracked a devious grin. "Alright, you have a deal. But you have to give me your word that we won't seriously hurt anyone."

"Fair enough, I have no need for that," Vedette agreed. At least for the moment...heh heh.

"Alright...excellent."

***

"Alright, Emmy! The warrior princess's loyal partner is ready to fight the big bad Dragolfos!"

"Yeah, May! The princess is too! Let's get him!"

"Rarrgh!"

Two young girls, no more than six or seven years old, played with their dolls in the courtyard of Hyrule Castle. Guards were posted at each door and entrance to the area, their eyes never leaving the girls entirely. With the girls' dolls was a stuffed dragon carrying a sword. The girl with long, almost cherry blonde hair held a doll in a dress that looked something like her own purple outdoor gown. The other girl had a light brown ponytail and was holding both the dragon and another female doll that also carried a sword.

"Look out, Emmy! He's trying to fly away! Grrr!"

May, the one with the ponytail, stood up and ran about the grass with the dragon as if it was flying.

"We'll get him! Warrior princess will ride her pretty horse!"

Emmy then grabbed a stuffed horse that had been sitting next to her and placed her doll upon it. The two girls soon began giggling as they ran through half the length of the courtyard.

Suddenly, a small flashing sound caught their attention. They stopped in their tracks almost immediately. None of the guards seemed to have noticed, however.

"Huh?" Emmy wondered. "May, did you hear that?"

"Yeah. But I didn't see--"

Suddenly, a large flash of light enveloped them, and all they could see before them was white. Their screams pierced the area and caught the attention of the guards for a moment, but disappeared as quickly as they had come. Within seconds, all that was left where the girls stood were their toys.

Within one of the castle's long halls, a tall, bulky man in heavy armor and a long, white cape traveled alongside a near bleach blonde woman in a well-embroidered bluish green tunic. The man also had a long ornate sword sheathed at his side while his companion also carried a unique sword on her back. Also with them was another man, with close to cherry blonde hair. His tunic was a similar style to the woman's, but was a deep green instead of closer to blue.

"Man, Kelli, even after several years of doing this, I feel like summits are the bane of my existence!" the armored man complained. "I never seem to know what to say and when to say it..."

"Oh, Judo, I don't think you do that badly," Kelli complimented with a smile. "You're just different. I never had much experience with these things either, though. I think I prefer the battlefield myself."

"Maybe, but exactly. The battlefield is so much easier to understand."

"Well, at least you're complaining about a meeting and not my cat for once," the other man added. "That was seriously getting old."

"Oh, he can certainly be the end of me too, there's no question!" Judo insisted.

"Sigh...Me and my big stupid mouth. For the millionth time, Hero is harmless!"

"Tell that to the menacing sharp claws on each of his four feet!"

"Oh stop it, both of you," Kelli insisted. "We have more important things to--"

"Ah! Sirs Judo and Link! Lady Kelli! W-We have an emergency!" a male voice suddenly interrupted them. One of the castle guards was rushing towards them, sweat tricking down the sides of his face and his hands trembling, his right one struggling to keep hold of a spear.

"What? What's going on?" Judo inquired.

"Uh...well..." the guard began, trying to gather himself.

"Oh come on, out with it!" Link insisted. "If it's so urgent, tell us!"

"Calm yourself and explain," Kelli ordered.

"Ah...well, you see...I'm so sorry! I-It's the girls! Mayula and Princess Emerald, th-they, they just...disappeared!" the soldier choked out.

"WHAT?!" both Judo and Link thundered. The guard had a feeling this was coming as he trembled further and covered his years to the noise.

"That can't be!" Kelli shouted, almost as angrily. "They were in the courtyard surrounded by a ton of guards! Why the hell did anyone take their eyes off them?!"

"And how could a kidnapper be allowed in so easily?!" Judo added. "Ever since you found out Link snuck in as a freaking ten year old, security's been tightened!"

"B-But we didn't take our eyes away! We could swear to the gods we didn't!" the guard said. "And we didn't see anyone at all! It just happened--!"

"What are you talking about?!" Link retorted. "Two small girls can't just up and vanish into thin air, you moron!"

"I know that! I really hate to say it, but there was nothing we could have done! The girls were playing and then suddenly...poof. In a large flash of light. And all that's left are their toys..."

"That doesn't make a lick of sense! Someone had to be there to cast the spell!" Judo pointed out.

"Yes, but we didn't see anyone, like I said! We're just as baffled as you are!" the guard continued. "One of us has gone to inform Princess Zelda and His Majesty as well and another guard went to find Deputy Commander Conan so we can figure this out. We can show you the courtyard, we haven't touched anything. The others will meet us there too."

"...Well, that was a good idea, at the very least," Link admitted. "Alright, let's go."

"This still sounds ridiculously insane. But yes," Kelli agreed. "We can't just do nothing."

"Right," Judo seconded.

"I just..." Kelli continued as the group headed downstairs to the courtyard doors. "Judo, I can't believe this has happened again. Why did May have to be born with those telekinetic powers?! Why couldn't she get a magic green thumb or something...? I doubt anyone would have much use for a child who can instantly make plants grow. Why are we even of this blasted empowered bloodline at all..."

"I...I don't know, Kelli," Judo replied, a grimace forming on his face. "I'm as enraged as you are. That people could want and be willing to take an innocent little girl and use her like that... Our little girl..."

"Hey, my daughter is gone too, you know!" Link snapped. "It's not just about May this time! Emerald has no powers, so the motive should be something else."

"That's true..." Kelli realized. "Sorry. I guess I'm not thinking entirely clearly."

"Don't worry, I'd be surprised if you were."

Within a few minutes, the group reached the courtyard, which was now extremely quiet due to the girls' absence. Just as the guard had said, only their toys lay strewn in the grass where they had been playing. And there was no other trace of them left. Seconds later, Princess Zelda herself along with Conan and two more guards arrived through another door. Zelda was radiant, her long blonde hair decorated with a gold circlet and a hair clip in the back. Her long ornate gown sparkled in the sunlight. The ebony haired Conan was garbed in similar armor to Judo, though without a cape, and his green eyes were piercing.

"Zelda!" Link greeted, rushing to his wife to embrace her in his arms. "I'm sorry this has happened. But I will find our daughter, I promise!"

"I know," Zelda replied. "I can't believe this has happened! I didn't want to believe the guard's story at first, and neither did my father."

"And neither did we," Kelli added. "So we totally get you there. And yet, here we are..."

"This is absolutely nuts," Conan stepped in. "Even I could have never foreseen a kidnapping like this. And I'm a tactician!"

"Whoever did it was well prepared," Judo pointed out. "We were discussing motive earlier. May's powers were brought up, but since Emerald is missing too, we think it's something else."

"But if not May's telekinesis, then what could it be?" Zelda wondered. "If it was Emerald's royal status, the kidnapper wouldn't need May."

"Indeed," Link agreed. "It has to be something we're just not thinking of. And what about this magic that apparently was used to just make them go poof?"

"And how are we supposed to track such a thing even if we do know what it is?" Conan added.

"Hmm..." Zelda uttered. "I sense...mysterious energy. Surely leftover from the spell. These remnants of magic, however, are unlike any I've ever seen. I don't think it's Hylian at all. Link, it could be..."

"...From another world," Link finished, realizing exactly what his wife was referring to.

"A...another world?" Conan repeated, blinking. "What do you mean?"

"Well, when I was still a kid and had left Hyrule to look for a friend, I somehow ended up falling into a weirdo portal," Link explained. "When I finally landed, I found myself in an entirely new place. I later learned it was a parallel world to Hyrule. Another dimension. I was only able to return here after I found a similar portal again. That other world exists, so perhaps there are more we don't know about."

"Oh yeah, I forgot that happened to you," Judo remembered. "Still a crazy story. And remember that time a couple years ago we ended up going on that crazy adventure with those people from...wasn't it a land called Crimea? That involved some otherworldly business too. But anyway, if it is another world, how are we supposed to find the right one? And when we get there, we'll be in completely unfamiliar territory. We need to make some serious preparations."

"Agreed," Kelli said. "I don't like this other world business... But it's our only solid idea of what's going on."

"Yeah," Link agreed. "But one thing is for sure. After all this, I am so done with anything to do with time travel and other worlds! I want to keep my feet planted right here in Hyrule for once, thanks!"

"Well, can't say we blame you," Judo commented, recalling how Link had once been forced to travel back and forth through time numerous times to save both Hyrule and the world known as Termina. The thought of the former adventure always made Judo shudder, as if it hadn't been for Link, he would have died in a devastating attack on the castle before he was ever even knighted.

"If we're done chit-chatting, we should go do some research on this dimension hopping magic," Zelda suggested. "When we find a way to that other world, however, some of us have to remain behind to look after things here. As much as I want to help find the girls...I probably should stay. I can sense if that unknown magic is being used here again."

"Hmm, yeah... How about Judo, Kelli, and I go?" Link suggested.

"Yeah, Conan, I'll leave you in charge of the knights while we're gone," Judo decided. "Can you handle that?"

"Oh, I'd be glad to," Conan agreed.

"Great, thanks!"

***

"Kelli, Ralph, has absolutely no one seen him in the last half hour?!" a panicking man in bulky light blue armor inquired, sweat tricking down the side of his head. His brown hair, though already rather unruly, looked like it was standing more on end. He was talking to a slightly younger man with dirty blonde hair and green eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, Fred, no one seems to know where Morgan is! I've been asking everyone!" Ralph replied, nearly as frantic as his hands trembled.

"I have too, Frederick," this second woman named Kelli added. She was garbed in a dark purple tunic and lightweight silvery armor and a curly teal ponytail cascaded down her back.

"CURSES!" Frederick thundered. "How could a seven year old boy just disappear from the palace?!"

"I...I don't know, love...!" Kelli uttered, vainly trying to hold back tears, as she was holding her small daughter in her arms.

"Mommy... I'm scared. I want Morgan back!" the little girl, whose hair was similar and tied with a pink bow, said through small tears.

"I know, Annie sweetie..." Kelli replied to her. "We'll find him, I promise."

"Fred, we have to report this to Lord Chrom and Lady Olivia," Ralph said. "I know you don't want to trouble them, but..."

"I know, we have no choice," Frederick agreed with a grimace. "We must inform them and request search parties... I just hope whoever is behind this doesn't also go after Antoinette or the young prince and princess."

Frederick was incredibly devoted to his liege, Exalt Chrom and Queen Olivia of the halidom of Ylisse. He hated to burden them with anything that he felt he should handle on his own. However, his son was nowhere to be found by anyone and the entire Ylisse Palace had been scoped out by him and his wife and close friend. And now he, Kelli, and Ralph could do nothing more except get more help and expand the search.

The trio made for the throne room immediately, though Frederick could still not stop asking passersby if they had seen his son. Kelli and Ralph had to convince him that he was getting too carried away. Practically everyone knew that when Frederick worried, he worried a lot. He practically burst through the large doors of the throne room when the trio arrived, something he'd ever only do when the situation was serious. Of course, Chrom and Olivia could see this right away, the latter's long pink curls bouncing as she jumped a little from being startled.

"Whoa, Frederick!" Chrom said, his storm blue eyes getting a bit tense. "And Kelli, Ralph. What in all of Ylisse is going on? I'm hearing some people in the castle are running around like scared chickens."

"Oh, my deepest apologies, Milord!" Frederick replied. "But I fear we have a serious situation on our hands, and it pains to me to request more assistance with it! It's Morgan! My son...he's vanished! We've been searching the entire palace for him and have found nothing... I...I shudder to think that he's been abducted!"

"What?!" Chrom gasped. "Frederick, you should have come to us sooner! This is terrible. We'll gladly send out search parties to wherever you need them."

"Oh, thank you, Chrom!" Kelli replied. "I'm so frightened."

"Oh dear... I can imagine," Olivia said, closing her eyes for a moment. "We'll do all we can to help find Morgan! Where was he last seen?"

"He was with me in my chambers while I was practicing some songs," Ralph replied. "Annie was with me as well. They were listening to me sing like they do a lot. I went into the bathroom for a minute or two and when I came out, Morgan was gone and Annie was crying! All she could tell me was that some "big circle of light" took him away. And I wasn't sure what to make of that since Annie is only five. Oh, gods, I feel so damned guilty! I'm so sorry...!"

Ralph then brought his hands to his face and began sobbing.

"Ralph, calm yourself. I'm sure you did nothing wrong," Chrom said. "We'll figure out what happened. Right now, it sounds like someone used magic to warp him out of that room. Hopefully it was just an accident, maybe caused by a healer or mage in training."

"Oh, I do hope it was only that..." Frederick uttered. "But yes, Ralph, no one is blaming you. So stop beating yourself and focus on helping us."

"Ah...yes, of course," Ralph agreed. "Sorry...again."

"It's alright, Ralph, we can still see why you would feel so upset," Olivia comforted. "We'll send out as many people as we can to begin searching the palace grounds further as well as Ylisstol. Meanwhile, all of you can leave and do the same wherever you feel you need to."

"Exactly," Chrom agreed. "Olivia and I would like to get out there ourselves and help as well."

"Ah, that's incredibly appreciated, Milord and Milady, but who would keep watch in the palace?" Frederick wondered.

"Frederick, we're not sending literally everyone. It will be fine," Chrom assured with a chuckle.

"Well...if you so desire, Milord. Thank you."

"Yes, thank you!" Kelli agreed. "I'll leave Annie with a maid and join some of the Pegasus knights and search from the sky atop Twilight."

"That should work. And Ralph and I can cover plenty of ground on horseback ourselves," Frederick agreed.

"Sounds like it's settled then." Ralph commented. "Let's go!"

With that, everyone departed the throne room to begin their assigned task, though Annie cried, not wanting to be left behind with her brother missing. Kelli had to console her that Mommy and Daddy would be back as soon as they could and ask her to be a good girl while she waited. On the way to the palace stables, they informed guards and other castle denizens of their plans, as well as a description of Morgan that Frederick had perhaps made a little too thorough.

"Frederick, I think they get the idea, dear," Kelli said with a small chuckle. Even if her husband overdid things a lot, she somehow found it endearing...at least most of the time.

"...Oh, yes. Of course," he said in response. "Carry on, everyone!"

Within the next several minutes, Frederick and Ralph had mounted their horses while Kelli seated herself upon her Pegasus. The winged horse was as dark blue as the night while Frederick's steed was a gallant brown stallion with a golden mane and tail. Ralph rode a lovely palomino mare. The trio exited the palace grounds and entered Ylisstol, Ylisse's capital city, as quickly as they could. Kelli immediately took to the sky after as Frederick and Ralph proceeded into town. Frederick made no hesitation to question every single person he saw, even small children, about Morgan's whereabouts. He said that one could never know where or who the most important information could come from. Which was true, and yet Ralph had a fairly hard time keeping up with his friend's frantic behavior.

"Fred, uh, I hate to ask, but can we maybe slow down a little bit?" he wondered. "I just can't keep up with you here!"

"Oh, sorry, Ralph. I just...I'm so desperate to find Morgan," Frederick admitted a little tensely. "My duty to my liege might have been my top priority for many years, but...if there's one thing I would possibly ignore that duty for these days...it would be my children. And maybe even Kelli too. I love them far more than I could ever care about picking up pebbles or building campfires or even inspecting the armory. And I am already dropping everything to ensure my son's safe return, after all."

"Yeah, I can definitely understand that. And you also know what it's like to be a hostage..."

"Indeed..."

The two then recalled a time only two years before where Frederick had been in town by himself one day. During that trip, he had somehow been knocked out from behind, and later woke up in a prison cell, chained to the floor. It was then he had become a captured prisoner and was also tortured by his captors, both physically and mentally. He had managed to escape on his own after a time, and later help defeat his captors, who had been stragglers of a previously defeated cult known as the Grimleal, but Frederick could never be the same again after such a terrifying experience. The thought of his son now possibly suffering such a fate felt like it would rip his heart to shreds.

"Well, we've got so many people searching now, Fred, I can't imagine there's any way we won't find Morgan soon," Ralph encouraged.

"I certainly hope so," Frederick replied.

In the sky, Kelli was actively scanning the city as well as the outskirts as closely as she could, her silver lance and a tome of thunder magic on hand in case she would have to fight to get her little boy back. She had to be prepared for anything, even though she prayed that the worst case scenario would not occur. Nearby her, other Pegasus knights were doing what they could to search the area as well. Many of them were new recruits due to nearly all of them having fallen in the previous war, but they were being trained well. And that training was about to pay off. The sole remaining veteran Pegasus knight, a friend of Kelli's named Cordelia, soon approached her, her long red hair flowing behind her.

"Kelli! I just received a report from one of the recruits! They've spotted a suspicious-looking trio of people headed toward the city from the eastern side and they're armed," she said. "I took a look myself and they're definitely not from around here at all. They don't have Morgan with them, but they may have something to do with his disappearance! We have to decide whether to engage them. I know this could end up being a wild goose chase, but it's the only lead we have. Whatever the case though, I advise using caution."

"Oh? I see, good work anyway!" Kelli complimented. "I'll check them out, since yes, any lead is better than no lead. However, we don't need to be starting any fights yet, Cordelia. We have no idea who these people are, and they could very well mean no harm. We will exercise caution, but don't order anyone to attack right now. Frederick, Ralph, and I will handle this."

"Good idea, yes. We wouldn't want to scare them off either, so the rest of us will keep our distance."

"Thanks! Everyone must still keep their eyes peeled for Morgan though! Don't let up on the search."

"Right!"

With that, Cordelia flew off while Kelli went to rejoin her husband and friend below. Frederick and Ralph were not hard to spot due to their distinctive mounts and garb. Kelli quickly had Twilight hover near the ground in front of them and relayed Cordelia's news. Frederick smiled excitedly, though not without a hint of caution as well.

"Ah, I do hope they know something! I certainly do not wish for this to be a waste of time," he said. "But I agree, we must be cautious."

"Yeah, let's go. This could be really interesting, if anything," Ralph added. "Lead the way, Kel!"

They then followed Kelli through town to the nearest eastern exit. Frederick's eyes were still darting every which way just in case he could still find any other sign of his son anywhere, but made sure not to lose track of his wife or Ralph. After battling their way through a few small though curious crowds, the trio reached the outskirts of the city and began following the road away from Ylisstol. Kelli took to the sky again once more to find their mysterious new visitors. Within seconds, she pointed somewhere ahead and had Frederick and Ralph follow once more.

It didn't take long for them to spot the group Cordelia and the other Pegasus knights had found. Without a doubt, this had to be them. They indeed wore unusual armor and clothing that had never been seen in Ylisse before. Their weapons were also unusual, though they could at least be identified as swords. One of the trio was a woman with near bleach blonde hair and garbed in bluish-green clothing. The other two were men, one of which was a little taller and wearing heavier and thicker armor than the other. The taller man also had light brown hair while the other was close to cherry blonde. That man was wearing mostly green, but with well-made embroidered patterns that were as elaborate as those on the woman's outfit and the taller man's red and blue tunic. The most striking feature of these three, however, was their unusually pointed ears. No one that Kelli, Frederick, or Ralph had ever known had such a feature at all. Where did these unusual people come from, and why were they in Ylisse?

"You three there! Halt!" Kelli shouted, hovering closer to the ground again.

"Whoa!" the cherry blonde man cried, jumping a little. His companions had been startled the same way.

"A flying horse?! What...?!" the man continued.

"You are not Ylisseans, who are you and why have you come here?" Frederick inquired after he and Ralph joined Kelli.

"We have a crisis right now, and if you're involved..." Ralph added.

"Hey now, hold on one second!" the taller man began. "We're not from here, that's true. But we mean no harm. We have a situation of our own that we're desperately trying to fix!"

"It's true, we came here upon finding some strange magic that allowed us to travel to this world from our own," the woman backed him up. "We think the answer we need is here."

"We're not involved in anything shady, honest to the goddesses," the cherry blonde man added. "We're just the opposite, in fact."

"Oh?" Frederick said. "I was wondering if you had come from another world. We're no strangers to that phenomenon."

"Oh dear..." Kelli uttered. "More otherworldly shenanigans... I'm so tired of them! And time travel too!"

"...Whoa, are you serious?" the cherry blonde man said. "I've had to deal with that confusing stuff way too much too! I totally hear you!"

"Oh, wow... That's...unusual to hear."

"Getting back to the situation at hand now," Frederick interrupted sternly. "Normally, I would be very hesitant to trust any of you. But these are extreme circumstances. Please, tell us who you are exactly. We shall introduce ourselves as well. I am Frederick, captain of the knights of this kingdom of Ylisse."

"Ah, we share a rank!" the taller man said. "I'm Judo, commander of the knights of Hyrule, the land we're from. This is my wife and her cousin. They're retainers to Hyrule's royal family. Link is also the husband of our princess."

"I'm Kelli," the woman introduced. "As you can see, we're more or less vassals of our kingdom."

"It's true. We've fought our fair share of powerful monsters and other enemies too," Link added.

"...Kelli?!" the Kelli atop Twilight had gasped. "That...that's my name as well! Definitely very unusual. I am Frederick's wife and the tactician of the Ylisse army. This other man is Ralph, a close family friend and one of the knights here."

"Nice to meet you!" Ralph commented with a smile. "I'm glad you're no enemy and that we can meet on friendly terms!"

"You share my name..." the new Kelli commented. "I agree, that is weird. But fascinating at the same time! Who knew the same name could be found in different worlds."

"Yes, that's great and all, but we still have no idea where the girls are!" Judo pointed out and then turned to Frederick and Ralph. "You're knights like me, so I feel comfortable telling you everything, if you can help us. My daughter, Mayula, and Link's daughter, Emerald, vanished from our castle courtyard not long ago. It was apparently some large flash of light that took them, and our research on the magic led us here. Our princess, Zelda, is adept at magic and was able to come up with a spell to create a portal that had a similar effect. We entered it, and here we are."

"I see... Wait, a flash of light took your children?!" Frederick cried. "That...that can't be a coincidence!"

"Oh my gods! That's what took Morgan, Frederick!" the Ylissean Kelli remembered. "Yes, these incidents have to be connected! Our son disappeared earlier as well!"

"Whoa," Link commented. "That is crazy. I think you're right though. But if that flash of light in Hyrule was a portal to this world, then... Was Morgan taken to our world?"

"That's a good question," the Hyrulean Kelli said. "We'll just have to keep looking for more clues. We're so glad we ran into all of you though. Now we can work together!"

"Yes, this is most fortunate," Frederick agreed. "I do believe working as allies is the best idea. Our son disappeared almost an hour ago. When did your daughters vanish?"

"At...around the same time, actually," Judo pointed out. "I was surprised it didn't take Zelda longer to find the spell she used. The problem is...she has no idea how to use it to bring us home when this is over. I really hope you guys can help us find another way."

"Oh no," Ralph said. "Well, we'll do our best."

"Indeed," Frederick said. "But if all three children disappeared at the same time...then...this is the work of more than one perpetrator. Multiple people are working together."

"Oh goddesses..." Judo uttered. "May..."

"Damn," Link fumed. "We have to find something soon!"

"I agree," Ylissean Kelli said. "Though...your ears. All of you have...ears we've never seen before. What's up with that?"

"Ah," Hyrulean Kelli replied. "They are the prominent feature of our race, the Hylians. We have these ears so in times of need, we can hear the goddesses, should we need to ask for their help or guidance. We were apparently created by the goddesses themselves, in fact."

"Wow..." Ralph commented. "This is really interesting!"

"We have gods as well," Frederick said. "However, yours sound quite different indeed. Well, let us go back to Ylisstol, the city before you, and search for more clues. Your world seems to not be as familiar with otherworldly travel as we are, so I have a feeling that whoever is responsible originally came from here."

"Yeah," Ylissean Kelli agreed. "The thing is, why do they want our children? And why two from one world and one from another?"

"I don't know..." Frederick admitted. "That's what we have to find out. Firstly however, we have to send a report to our king and queen detailing you three and what we've found out. They'll be pleased to know that we have a solid lead."

"That works, "Judo replied.

"Oh yeah, and again, that flying horse!" Link said. "We've never seen such a thing!"

"I think it's a lovely creature though!" Hyrulean Kelli commented.

"Oh, thank you!" Ylissean Kelli replied with a smile. "It's called a Pegasus. They're fairly commonly used as war mounts here. However, they have an unusual habit of only allowing women to be their masters. I don't really know why."

"Huh, weird," Link said, raising an eyebrow. "Well, we don't know this land, so you guys will have to lead us."

"Indeed," Frederick agreed. The group then started making for Ylisstol, eager to report their findings. Judo then cracked a goofy smile as they began traveling.

"Yeah," he added. "We do have to follow the lead! Hahaha!"

Ralph chuckled at Judo's pun, as did Hyrulean Kelli and Link. Ylissean Kelli cracked a smile, but Frederick was hardly amused.

"Are you seriously jesting in this time of crisis?" he spat.

"Oh, that's just my husband being himself," Hyrulean Kelli said. "Judo does this a lot, even in situations like this."

"He should be thinking of his child!" Frederick protested.

"Oh Frederick, calm down," Ylissean Kelli said.

"Yeah, chill," Judo said. "I know the situation is serious. I just believe it helps to lighten the mood a bit sometimes. But damn, for once can I meet someone new who doesn't have a problem with this...? I met this guy named Ike two years ago during another weird otherworldly excursion and he would not get off my case about joking around a lot and "not taking things seriously." We did eventually get along a little better in the end, but...I do not want to be in fights like those again."

"...What? You say you met the great Sir Ike, the Radiant Hero himself?!" Frederick gasped. Ralph and Ylissean Kelli had similar reactions.

"You know about him?" Judo replied, raising an eyebrow as his eyes widened a little. "I do remember he said he was a famous hero though..."

"Exactly. He was from another world, but we here know a lot about his deeds. What a coincidence that you've also met..."

"Huh... Yeah."

"Hey Judo, I'm fine with you telling a joke or two every now and then," Ralph stepped in. "You don't have to worry about me complaining."

"Ah, awesome," Judo said with a smile. "If we have to fight any enemies, you'll see more of it. I tend to do it on the battlefield as well. I can annoy and distract the enemy and have a bit of fun too."

"Wow, really? That's cool!"

"It...distracts enemies?" Frederick said. "Intriguing... That actually could be useful. I have little experience with humor though... Sir Judo, perhaps you could teach me this skill to use during battle! It may one day help me protect my liege and my family."

Judo blinked in astonishment.

"...Uh, really?" he uttered. "Wow, you sure did a one-eighty there. I don't know how to teach someone to tell jokes though. I just...do it. Though one thing I can tell you is that my jokes often involve a thing called puns. You know what a pun is, right? A play on words. It's what I used earlier as a joke."

"Ah, yes, I have heard of that. I shall have to give it a try sometime!" Frederick decided.

"Heh... You do that then."

Ralph then snickered.

"Oh wow. Frederick trying to tell a joke. This will be hilarious."

"Agreed," Ylissean Kelli seconded, also chuckling. Frederick always liked learning new things if he felt they could be beneficial to his duties, but this one was by far the most amusing, in more ways than one.

The group fell silent for a while after this, up until they were once again in the roads of Ylisstol. Judo, Link, and Hyrulean Kelli were in awe of how large it was. Castle Town in Hyrule was fairly sizeable, but it didn't compare to the vast city they beheld. They wondered if Ylisse itself was bigger than Hyrule. It wouldn't be surprising, as they had learned of other kingdoms that were larger.

Not long after arriving in the city, Ylissean Kelli gave their report to Cordelia who would relay it to Chrom and Olivia for the group. The royals were in for quite a story when she found them. The only question now was where to begin looking for clues next. The group pondered while awaiting Cordelia's return to give them the Exalt and queen's approval of their new allies. Frederick and Ylissean Kelli began to wonder if yet more Grimleal stragglers were involved. Due to Ylissean Kelli's history, Morgan had a rather distant connection to them. His mother had originally been born into the cult and was now hated by them. But why would they be interested in two children from another world? They weren't sure, but chose to mention the Grimleal to their new companions just in case. Needless to say, they were intrigued.

Cordelia returned within a few minutes with her news. She lowered her Pegasus to the others' level.

"Our Exalt and queen are pleased to have you helping us," she said with a smile. "They insist that we keep them informed, though."

"Ah, that's good to hear," Judo replied. "We can later tell them that Hyrule is also thankful for the aid."

"Indeed," Link agreed.

"Oh, Captain Cordelia, there you are!" one of the Pegasus knight recruits said, handing Cordelia a folded piece of parchment. "I just got handed this by one of the guards that was patrolling the town. He said the person he got it from asked for it to be given to Sir Frederick, Lady Kelli, and the "visitors with pointed ears." I've never seen anyone with any--"

The Pegasus knight paused when she noticed the ears of Judo, Link, and Hyrulean Kelli.

"...Oh. This is them!" she said. "Well, I'm glad I found all of you then."

Before the others could say anything, however, Cordelia gasped.

"Oh no! You guys have to hear this," she said and began to read. "If you want to see your children again, come to the woods west of the city, and follow the red light. But come alone!"

Everyone either gasped or shrieked at this alarming development.

"Oh, gods!" Ylissean Kelli cried. "Frederick, they all were captured!"

"Damn!" Frederick fumed. "It seems that the culprits wish to lure us into a trap of sorts. But we have to go. Please, everyone, be careful."

"Ugh..." Judo groaned. "I swear, if anyone harms a hair on those kids' heads, I'll..."

"Judo, don't do anything stupid," Hyrulean Kelli warned. "We can't fall into their trap."

"I know. Don't worry."

"I feel the same way, Judo, believe me," Link said.

The group then hurried to the western side of Ylisstol, with Link, Judo, and Hyrulean Kelli being allowed to share their new companions' mounts. Link rode with Ralph, the Kellis rode together, and Judo mounted Frederick's horse. Along the way, Link decided to inquire more about the cult known as the Grimleal that Ylissean Kelli had mentioned.

"This...cult you guys had mentioned. They were once very dangerous, I assume?" he said.

"Oh, they very much were," Ylissean Kelli explained. "They nearly destroyed the world...using me."

Link's eyes widened with shock, and Hyrulean Kelli's and Judo's had done the same.

"Yeah... You see, they worshiped a monstrous dragon deity named Grima," Ylissean Kelli continued. "I...had been his vessel. Until we destroyed him. No doubt, the Grimleal would love to have a way to bring him back regardless. Of course, there's no way they can do that without something that has the power to revive the dead. I doubt any children can help them with that though, so there has to be something else we're missing..."

At this, however, Link gasped again, this time more in fear than he ever had so far.

"Oh NO!" he said. "You might be wrong there. I think I know what the culprits are after!"

"What? Link, you can't be talking about..." Hyrulean Kelli started.

"Yeah. The Triforce."

"Damn it all," Judo fumed.

"What? What is this Triforce you speak of?" Frederick wondered.

"It's the divine relic the goddesses left behind when they created our world," Link replied. "Currently, it's split into three pieces due to some unusual circumstances that happened years ago. Our Kelli currently holds one piece, the Triforce of Courage. It's also the piece that I once had myself until some other events caused it to change hands. My wife holds another, the Triforce of Wisdom. And the third piece...it is actually locked away with its holder, who was an evil man that threatened our world until Zelda and I sealed him away in the realm in which the Triforce once sat. Whoever touches the Triforce will be granted any wish they desire, including bringing back the dead."

"...Holy cow," Ralph commented. "That kind of power sounds insane! It would be exactly what the Grimleal needs to bring back Grima!"

"Precisely," Link said.

"Another thing," Judo stepped in. "Each piece of the Triforce seems to be able to recognize multiple potential holders at one time, even if it does not leave its current holder the way the Triforce of Courage had. One time...I ended up unwittingly calling upon the piece that is sealed away in the Sacred Realm. It is the Triforce of Power. Momentarily, I was able to use it. But then it returned to its imprisoned owner."

"So this Triforce is based on three forces, power, wisdom, and courage," Ylissean Kelli said. "That seems straightforward enough. The kidnappers took your children to lure you and your Triforce pieces out here. And its power does sound terrifying! But this doesn't explain what Morgan's role in all this would be...unless... They want to make him a new vessel for Grima!"

"Gods, no!" Frederick cried. "I will not allow that to happen! We must hurry!"

"I agree. Because there's another threat this causes, but we'll have to explain it later," Link said. "We have no time to lose!"

The others were not hesitant to agree and move ever faster towards the woods they were directed to. And thankfully, it didn't take long for them to spot the area, as well as the red light that the note had mentioned. It was fairly small, but clear as day to see, as it was almost like a sharp beam.

"Oh, one thing we forgot to mention!" Judo spoke up. "My daughter has telekinetic powers. It's...a kind of complicated story. But if things go as planned, she won't end up causing a mess..."

"T-Telekinetic?" Frederick replied, stupefied. "That is unheard of around here. The only "powers" anyone here has are the magic tomes some use in combat or healing staves."

"Magic healing staves, huh? That has to be really convenient," Link commented.

"It is to a degree," Ylissean Kelli said. "But they have limits on their uses just like weapons, of course."

"I see," Hyrulean Kelli said. "And about May's powers...they're not incredibly strong...yet. But they can do more damage than you might think. That girl was a pain in the arse to control when she was smaller and first discovered her powers."

"Wow, I can imagine so..." Ylissean Kelli said.

"Hey, over there, you guys!" Ralph suddenly spoke up. He pointed to a path in the woods where the red beam of light was shown. It disappeared seconds later, making it clearer what Ralph had found down the path. There was a small clearing, with two hooded figures standing next to what appeared to be a large cage. Upon closer inspection, the group realized that sitting inside the cage...were all three children. Several gasps echoed in the area and one of the hooded figures rather quietly chuckled. The children soon noticed their parents and called for them.

"Mama! Daddy!" May cried.

"Daddy!" Emerald added.

"Mom, Dad!" Morgan shouted.

"Hold on, we'll get you out of there soon!" Link proclaimed.

"Heh heh, you all came. Excellent," one of the hooded figures said in a feminine voice. "Except... I expected that Hyrulean princess to be here too. Tch. But that doesn't change much, thankfully."

"Huh? Her voice..." Ralph said. "I know it from somewhere. Where did I hear it before?"

"Well, Zelda will not be appearing here at all!" Link proclaimed. "Let those children go this instant or I'll have my dark blade continue the talking!"

"Ah, yes, you wield dark power now rather than...what was it? The Master Sword?" the hooded woman said.

"Yeah, that's the one he used to have," the other hooded figure replied, in a lowish male voice.

"Something about his voice is familiar too," Judo noticed.

"Oh, of course you wouldn't forget entirely," the hooded man said. "I know I couldn't."

"Who are you?!" Frederick demanded. "Why is the Grimleal still trying to harm innocents?!"

"Ah, you figured it out. Then I think you already know the answer to that," the hooded woman said. "No need to hide our faces from you though, I suppose."

With that, the two dropped their hoods, revealing some shockingly familiar faces to all. Judo gasped the loudest.

"GARRICK?!" he shouted. "You heartless dastard!"

"That woman!" Ralph cried. "Fred, she was the one who cast that spell on me awhile back that made me lose my voice for awhile! I recognize her anywhere!"

"You guys know them?" Ylissean Kelli said in shock.

"Yeah," Hyrulean Kelli replied angrily. "Garrick was once a captain in Hyrule's royal guard, until he was discharged after some unacceptable behavior towards Judo and I. He's a sexist pig who thinks women can't be as strong as men."

"And I ran into that woman several months back when she complained to me that one of my songs ruined a hex or something that she was working on," Ralph explained. "I didn't know then that she was Grimleal. I still don't even know her name. But she said some weird incantation after, and some time later, I couldn't talk or even whisper, let alone sing! I am a royal singer at the palace and entertain many people when I can."

"And I still despise you for that!" the woman spat. "I'll give you my name though, so you can remember it. It's Vedette. The Triforce of Courage is already here and it's only a matter of time before the Triforce of Power automatically joins it through you, Judo. That Hyrulean princess may not be here, but her daughter is, and she will inherit the Triforce of Wisdom from her in due time! And I'll be the last Grimleal you fools ever see once the Triforce pieces unite and bring back Lord Grima!"

"You're out of your goddess-damned skull!" Link shouted. "Do you have any idea what you're really doing?!"

"Yeah, Grima will destroy this world just as he attempted before!" Ylissean Kelli added.

"Not just that," Link continued. "It's also what I mentioned before, about there being another threat. The Triforce is not only a divine relic, it protects Hyrule! If the Triforce is removed from my world for too long, the kingdom will fall into dismay! Hyrule will be lost!"

"What?!" Frederick, Ralph, and Ylissean Kelli all cried at the same time.

"Hold on, are you serious?!" Garrick gasped. "Vedette, you never said anything about threatening Hyrule!"

"Ah, that must've been one piece of information I missed," Vedette realized. "No matter though, Hyrule was so annoying to be in anyway. I'd rather bring back Lord Grima."

"W...What?" Garrick uttered. All of a sudden, he was in complete disbelief at what he was hearing. All he expected was to get a little revenge on those who had him thrown out of the Hyrulean army. Now he was effectively helping to destroy not one, but two worlds, one of which was his own.

"I-I will not help you destroy Hyrule!" Garrick continued to protest. "Or this world! I did not sign up for that!"

"You try to turn against me now, you fool?" Vedette retorted. "Ha! You are my slave. If you value your pitiful life, you will work for me until I say you're finished! Or else you're at mercy of my magic."

Vedette made no hesitation to allow a dark aura to envelope one of her hands and use it on Garrick in an instant. He gasped and fell to his knees as he began to feel some of his strength drain from him.

"And that was just a preview of what I can do to you," Vedette continued and then turned to the group.

"You think you can take all of us on by yourself?" Judo said with a laugh. "You're an even bigger fool than he is."

"Oh, trust me, I know what I'm doing."

Garrick, meanwhile, was struggling to return to his feet. He slowly stood up a moment later.

"I won't be by myself, on the contrary," Vedette continued. "I can easily summon help another spell. Remember...the Risen?"

"What?!" Ylissean Kelli gasped. "That's impossible, only Grima himself could summon those!"

"Not anymore. I found a way to do it without him," Vedette revealed. "Now prepare to face your--!

Suddenly, her mouth dropped open and she let out a choking gasp. The others looked down to find a blade protruding from her torso...and Garrick's hand on one end of it. He then ripped it out of her with a spatter of blood streaking across his clothes. Vedette slowly collapsed to the ground, her death near instant as she took her last breath as soon as she landed. The others could only gape in astonishment upon witnessing this.

"Whoa," Judo said. "Garrick... How did...?"

"Yeah," Garrick said. "She had a dagger sheathed on her leg. May snuck it out with her power and handed it to me when I noticed it and began trying to take it out of the sheath myself. Did you honestly think I would turn against Hyrule like that?"

"Well... No, I suppose that would be unrealistic."

"Hey, I can open the door!" May shouted as her eyes lit up with a white light and the lock on the cage door suddenly clicked open. "I couldn't do it before. I don't know why."

"Vedette had cast magic on it to prevent you from doing so," Garrick explained. "Her death must've broken the spell. I'm...sorry for what I did. I did not want anyone to be hurt, little ones."

"Well, everything is okay now!" Emerald replied and then ran to Link. "Daddy!"

"I'm so glad you're safe, Emerald!" he said, kneeling to his daughter's level and wrapping his arms around her.

Morgan jumped into Frederick's arms as both he and Ylissean Kelli embraced their son. May used her power to hover herself into Judo's arms and then her mother's.

"We're glad everyone is safe," Frederick said.

"Indeed," Judo replied. "Now Garrick..."

"Judo, you and the others probably won't forgive me," Garrick continued. "I wouldn't forgive me either after all this. But I truly am sorry. I had no idea what that woman was really doing. I absolutely never wanted to destroy any worlds, let alone Hyrule."

"Hey, I believe you," Judo assured.

"Us too," Hyrulean Kelli said for herself and Link. "We're just glad you and May did what you did. That woman was about to throw some kind of weird army at us, by the sound of it."

"Yes, the Risen," Frederick said. "They were undead warriors that we fought during the war against Grima. No doubt we would have had a serious battle on our hands had Garrick and May not stepped in. My wife and I are grateful to you both."

"Thanks, but please, I don't really deserve it," Garrick said.

"Hey, Garrick," Judo spoke up again. "You did kind of save two worlds here though. Maybe...just maybe, I can see about getting you reinstated in the royal guard."

"...What? But...would King Daphnes and Princess Zelda really take me back?"

"If we tell them of your heroics, I don't see why not. And it sounds like you're changing from your old ways."

Judo then shot him a smile.

"...Heh, I suppose I kind of am. Though I'm still unsure about a woman being as strong as a man...with a sword," Garrick replied. "Magic is another story entirely! Good goddesses! I thought that woman was going to rip my insides out with that crazy spell! Now I'll have to view Princess Zelda's magic in a whole new light..."

Hyrulean Kelli chuckled.

"Well, it is a start! Heh heh."

"Hey, what's this?" Ralph inquired, having noticed something in a satchel on Vedette's waist. He held up what appeared to be a tome, but it wasn't a dark tome or any other kind of familiar magic tome. Ralph opened it to see the inside.

"Outrealm Tome," he read aloud. "Wait, OUTREALM TOME?! That's how she got to Hyrule?!"

"Hey, wait up, that's mine!" another female voice suddenly shouted. "That woman you killed stole it from me!"

Rushing up to the group was a woman with a red ponytail and dressed in clothing typical of an Ylissean mage.

"Ah, sorry. I'm--"

"Anna," Frederick deduced. "We...er, already know. We've met...your sisters before."

"Oh, yes! My many sisters," Anna recalled. "Of course! But anyway, as I said, that tome is mine. I crafted it to make Outrealm travel easier for tourists and warriors alike."

"Hold up, Outrealm?" Link wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah, you're travelers from the world that woman used the tome to go to, I'm guessing," Anna presumed as Ralph handed her the tome. "Yes, the Outrealms are the gates to other worlds. They can lead you to an endless number of worlds, and even other timelines in the same world! I didn't imagine that my tome would cause so much trouble though. I am dreadfully sorry!"

"Whoa..." was all Link could utter.

"That's...rather incredible," Judo commented.

"Yeah! That means there could be literally thousands of worlds and timelines out there..." Hyrulean Kelli imagined. "Amazing."

"Yep!" Anna commented. "Well, I must be on my way. I have to find a way to secure this tome better so something like this doesn't happen again. Ta ta!"

"Wait, hold on!" Judo interrupted. "I'm sorry to ask this, but...we have no way of returning home. Do you think you could help us?"

"Ah, I sure can," Anna agreed with a wink. "Just let me know when you're ready."

"Well, this has been a crazy adventure," Link said. "But yeah, it is time we returned home. My wife is probably worried sick."

"I can imagine, but I have one request first," Frederick said. "Sir Judo, listen to this. I believe I'm figuring out your jesting skill."

"Oh? You think so, huh? Well, let's hear it!" Judo replied. The others quietly chuckled, not imagining someone like Frederick to be able to be as cleverly funny as Judo, who was revered as a comedy king of sorts in his homeland.

"Well, say he holds that tome for Anna," Frederick began, gesturing at Link. "We'd then have...a Link between worlds!"

At this, not only did the others blink in amazed silence, Judo did too. Frederick couldn't help but allow a large grin to plaster his face.

"...Oh my goddess, that is clever!" Judo finally said and broke out into laughter. "Good job! I guess I did sorta teach you after all!"

"Woohoo... Did it have to be a joke about me?" Link grumbled. "I already have to deal with Judo's "sausage Link" nonsense."

"Oh don't be a party pooper," Hyrulean Kelli retorted.

"Frederick, I am seriously impressed!" Ylissean Kelli commented, chuckling.

"Me too!" Judo said. "And that is saying something coming from me."

"Ah, I'm glad I could do it," Frederick said happily. "And all this time, I thought my heart had no room for humor... By the way... Sir Judo, I have also noticed that you have the appearance of a well-trained warrior. By just looking at your body, I can sense the immense strength it carries. I would be honored if you'd also grant me a spar before you go."

"Oh, I'd be delighted! You look very strong yourself, Frederick," Judo replied. "Think you can give us a few minutes, Anna?"

"Oh, sure! I'm in no hurry," Anna agreed, giving the gang another wink.

"Great!"

With that, the group moved away from the woods to give Frederick and Judo some space. Though the Hylian trio was soon to depart, one thing was clear. Even if they never saw the Ylisseans again, there would remain a lasting friendship and alliance.

 

Some notes:

Spoiler

- This story takes place several years after the events of Awakening and LoZ: Majora's Mask. That means it is in the child timeline of the Zelda timeline and Link had grown up naturally after being sent back in time by Zelda at the end of Ocarina of Time. So he no longer has the Master Sword, and the events of the adult era in OoT obviously don't repeat, so a different adventure occurred, which is my main Zelda fic, and Link obtained a new unique weapon, which is the dark sword he's referring to. LoZ Kelli, referred to as Hyrulean Kelli here, wields that sword's counterpart, a blade of light.
- The LoZ trio's meeting Ike and adventuring with him is another crossover I have planned!
- Similarly, the incident where Frederick was captured and imprisoned is another planned short fic. I decided it would be interesting to write something where his very soul is on the verge of breaking due to torture and stress...and being faced with choosing between either his family or his liege.
- Mayula was indeed kidnapped once before, specifically because someone wanted to use her powers for themself and possibly duplicate them into others.
- Emerald's name references her father's fondness for green clothing, yes. lol
- I put in references to an old movie called A Troll in Central Park and LoZ: A Link Between Worlds. The latter should be real easy to spot. lol

 

Edited August 13 by Anacybele

[TheSilentChloey]

@Anacybele I take it you haven't read high quality works that take only very few words to convey everything the reader needs to know then.

 

Plus I know I won't be able to get through the first few paragraphs of this monster of an entry (not being rude just saying it's too big to manage to read through without missing details).

 

If a majority of people are telling you your works are too long then take it with a grain of salt, we're only trying to help you improve, being stubborn helps no one, least of all yourself.

 

Tl;dr- it's far better to have minimal exposition than shoving it in diologue or straight up exposition dumps.  The less exposition you need to explain a story the better it is as much can be left up to the reader, that is especially true of short stories.  Though personally I think it's better to have exposition, just not too much.

 

Also not sure about why you would think a short story is rushed.  There are stories that can easily be told in a thousand words or less and be far better than their ten thousand word counterparts.  But that's just me.

[Dragoncat]

6 hours ago, TheSilentChloey said:

If a majority of people are telling you your works are too long then take it with a grain of salt, we're only trying to help you improve, being stubborn helps no one, least of all yourself.

A majority of people have told you you can allude to R rated stuff and keep it PG 13 without cutting and you ignored that, so...I feel that you are being stubborn as well.

That said, Ana, expect me to Discord you sometime today.

[Anacybele]

1 hour ago, Dragoncat said:

A majority of people have told you you can allude to R rated stuff and keep it PG 13 without cutting and you ignored that, so...I feel that you are being stubborn as well.

Yes, this. There's more I could say here, but I will refrain because I can't afford to risk any trouble anymore since I'm on a hot seat with the mods after some past fiascos in the Heroes board, even if I'd try to be as civil as I can. What I see as civil or harmless may not seem that way to others. So I feel it's best if I just say I agree here.

1 hour ago, Dragoncat said:

That said, Ana, expect me to Discord you sometime today.

Yeah, just saw your newest message there.

[TheSilentChloey]

16 hours ago, Dragoncat said:

A majority of people have told you you can allude to R rated stuff and keep it PG 13 without cutting and you ignored that, so...I feel that you are being stubborn as well.

That said, Ana, expect me to Discord you sometime today.

And I did listen.

 

Obviously you didn't notice it in my entry because I DID slip in both implied planned rape and murder.  So if you didn't see it that's on you.

Edited August 11 by TheSilentChloey

[Dragoncat]

8 minutes ago, TheSilentChloey said:

And I did listen.

 

Obviously you didn't notice it in my entry because I DID slip in both implied planned rape and murder.  So if you didn't see it that's on you.

You got me there, I didn't even read your entry fully. Glad you listened, but the fact that you never replied made me think otherwise.

After reading it, I'm still not seeing the implied planned rape, all I see is murder.

Edited August 11 by Dragoncat

[AnonymousSpeed]

I would encourage you all to be a little less passive aggressive with each other. I'm sure you don't mean anything by it but the way you've written some responses can come off a bit hostile.

Now, that has been said.

I actually think Chloey's statements are agreeable on a first reading. I have yet to read the two submissions, which I assume that would be beneficial in throwing my two cents in. I'll have to carve out some time for that in the near future, though Chloey's innuendos and Ana's story lengths are separate topics.

[Dragoncat]

3 minutes ago, AnonymousSpeed said:

I would encourage you all to be a little less passive aggressive with each other. I'm sure you don't mean anything by it but the way you've written some responses can come off a bit hostile.

Now, that has been said.

I can agree with this, no more fingers will be pointed by me if I can help it but I can agree there is some minor fighting going on.

Regardless Anon I have read Ana's and made suggestions, she just has to edit.

[Anacybele]

14 minutes ago, AnonymousSpeed said:

I would encourage you all to be a little less passive aggressive with each other. I'm sure you don't mean anything by it but the way you've written some responses can come off a bit hostile.

Sorry about that. It wasn't my intention, no.

14 minutes ago, AnonymousSpeed said:

I actually think Chloey's statements are agreeable on a first reading. I have yet to read the two submissions, which I assume that would be beneficial in throwing my two cents in. I'll have to carve out some time for that in the near future, though Chloey's innuendos and Ana's story lengths are separate topics.

I don't think short stories are automatically rushed like Chloey was accusing me though. I just think it's harder to write one that isn't than to write a quality longer story. Not that it's impossible. I personally have a hard time writing a short story without making it feel rushed and/or watered down. In fact, I kinda feel like that about many of my shorter contest entries. They had much more potential, but since I didn't want to repeatedly write really long entries, I was forced to ignore that potential and left myself with bare-bones-ish stuff.

I'm up for learning to be better at not making a short story feel rushed and stuff though.

Edited August 11 by Anacybele